Buzzing About
This female is hiding between the feeder and the house in hopes that Big Boss Bird will not see her and then chase her away.
This female is hiding between the feeder and the house in hopes that Big Boss Bird will not see her and then chase her away.
This is Big Boss Bird hovering by the feeder protecting his territory. Infringement upon these premises will not be tolerated!
Big Boss Bird drives away an interloper that can be seen directly beneath him. To the right another hummer is using this as an opportunity to slip in and get a quick drink.
This is Big Boss Bird, the territorial male who is King of the Feeder. Though he is perched on the feeder, he is not consuming nectar. No, he is sitting there making sure that no one else is consuming nectar either!
With Big Boss Bird off somewhere else, two female hummers manage to get along and drink from the same feeder.
Look close and you'll see a bird in the bottle. How did I get him in there? I'll never tell.
I was actually too close to get the picture I wanted, but couldn't move for fear of scaring the birds. These are two juvenille males, as you can tell from the black speckling on their throats. The bird on the right has one spot at the very base of his neck that is bright crimson.
The only reason these birds are on the feeder is that Big Boss Bird is off chasing someone else (probably the two females from the last couple pictures).
With another bird hovering about, the bird on the feeder extends a wing in case it needs to make a hasty retreat.